Storing your food at the recommended temperatures is essential to ensure maximum freshness and prevent bacterial growth. This can easily be done with the help of commercial cold storage Jakarta. This article is your guide storing fresh produce at various temperatures to keep it fresh and consumable.
| S.No. | Food Type | Avg. shelf life when stored below 4°C |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meat (beef, lamb, pork etc.) | 3-5 days |
| 2 | Seafood (prawns, mussels, crab etc.) | 2-3 days |
| 3 | Cured meats (salami, chorizo, prosciutto etc.) | 2-3 weeks |
| 4 | Minced meat and offal (liver, heart, kidneys etc.) | 2-3 days |
| 5 | Poultry | 3 days |
| 6 | Milk (all types) | 5-7 days |
| 7 | Young Cheese (cream cheeses, cottage, ricotta etc.) | 10 days |
| 8 | Hard Cheese (cheddar, parmesan etc.) | 1-3 months |
| 9 | Fruit juice (orange, cranberry, grape etc.) | 7-14 days |
| 10 | Eggs | 3-6 weeks |
The Danger Zone of Food Storage
Leaving the food items at the normal room temperature can be dangerous. It decreases the shelf life of your food due to the increase in bacteria formation. However, food items only have to reach a temperature of 4°C or higher for bacteria to develop. Even at a low temperature like this, harmful bacteria can develop within half an hour in your food, which is why it’s so important to store your food in the cold storage. Within four hours of leaving the food at room temperature, bacteria will reach dangerous levels and could seriously harm someone. Harmful bacteria can live on foods even after it is cooked, so, it’s not worth the risk to use the food items for cooking of they have been unrefrigerated. Not only can bacteria cause several illnesses, but it can easily spread throughout your kitchen, infecting other healthy produce and kitchen items. Avoid the food to develop bacteria by storing your food below the danger zone (4°C and above).
Safe Temperature for Food Storage
As 4°C and above is considered dangerous for food items like meat, fish and poultry, it makes sense that anything below this temperature level is generally considered safe. The key is – lower the temperature the longer food is likely to last. But again, certain foods can get damaged by low temperatures. This is why many food establishments choose to freeze their food at the recommended temperature of 18°C, rather than keep it chilled. The best way to store your food and avoid the bacteria development in produce is to keep your food in a cold storage unit. Cold storage units come with temperature monitoring and recording to allow you to keep your food at a safe and consistent temperature during their time in storage.
How to check if the food has gone bad?
If you have stored your food in temperature-controlled cold storage and is still supposedly within its safe use-by date, it’s unlikely your food will go bad. However, sometimes certain conditions can lead to premature food deterioration and bacterial development. Here’s how you can check if your food has gone bad:
- Colour – Do you notice an unusual colour in your stored food? If you own a Toko Daging, you might notice that the meats will go grey or can be visibly slimy when they go bad. If your food has started to discolour, it could be a sign of bacteria growth and should be disposed of as soon as possible.
- Odour – Fresh meat and poultry should have little to no odour. However, if you notice an unpleasant smell, it’s definitely no longer safe to cook and consume. Many fish products have little to no smell when fresh. If the products develop an unusually strong fish odour. It’s time to throw them away.
- Texture – Texture plays an important when determining the freshness of food, especially fruits and vegetables. If your product is soft and pulpy to the touch, then it’s time to throw it out. Even if it looks fine on the outside, an unpleasant texture can signify bacterial growth, so it isn’t worth the risk.
Summing Up
Please keep in mind to get rid of the food items which you are not certain about. It’s not worth risking your customer’s health or the reputation of your food establishment. Invest in a high-quality and durable cold storage to keep your food fresh for a longer time.
